I've been having mostly trouble playing in OU tier, since starting. So, I went through numerous teams without much success, never actually being able to go further than 1250-ish. I will add that this current team is mostly an experimental build I've been trying for a bit, so if anything looks off, that is probably the reason. I have however tried it out a bit and feel like it just needs some improvements to be viable. Also, sorry in advance for writing huge walls of text. I'm just trying to somehow get my point in the team across.
Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Toxic
- Freeze-Dry
- Dazzling Gleam
Probably the most disagreeable choice on my team. I tried a lot with Hazard Layers and Suicide Leads, but I've rarely been able to use them to the fullest potential, due to the lack of good Spinners, leaving me only with Crobat and Defog. Aurora Veil is supposed to get some protection in and Hail does some damage to the enemy team. Toxic has been my go to move for my lead Pokemon, as it works much more effectively for me. Freeze-Dry and Dazzling Gleam were also recommended to get damage done. This is mostly experimental so far, so I'm not sure if it works too well.
I feel like the best alternative I have tried would be Azelf, which has been helpful a lot, due to Explosion getting a good first hit in and Fire Punch getting rid of Ferrothorn and Skarmory alike. Plus, Taunt and Toxic are also useful. Ninetales-Alola feels promising though, if I had the right move set. Even as a support, it can be a threat to any Dragon type, which can be useful for Garchomp. Also, Freeze-Dry can get rid of Landorus in the beginning rather quickly.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Fire Fang
- Dragon Claw
My first of two Breakers. I mostly chose Garchomp to deal with problematic Electric-types, like Zeraora and Tapu Koko, which were a nightmare to me. That's why I gave it Choice Scarf to outspeed both Tapu Koko and Zeraora and hit with either Iron Head or Earthquake. Fire Fang is mostly defensively against Ice types and Dragon Claw does tons of STAB damage. Both Iron Head and Earthquake are also useful to deal with Rock types, which are problematic against Volcarona. A problem I've had is Knock Off. It usually isn't too much of a problem, as Garchomp can outspeed many Pokemon and isn't too fragile, but if Knock Off hits, then my plan to outspeed Tapu Koko and Zeraora is ruined and they go from easily killed to full-on nightmare once more.
Volcarona @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Bug Buzz
- Psychic
- Quiver Dance
My second breaker is Volcarona. It has been in most of my previous teams and has been a great asset. I rarely get to use Quiver Dance, but either way it is extremly powerful. Flamethrower and Bug Buzz do tons of STAB damage and cover a variety of Pokemon effectively. Psychic was mostly a random pick for my last slot, but it has been more than useful. Since I decided to not take Giga Drain or Roost, Leftovers became the best option for any sort of recovery, due to Volcarona having defensive problems, which have taken it down rather easily in the past. Especially Greninja has been a pain and any Rock Pokemon is pretty much a death threat. Toxapex can easily be one-shotted with Quiver Dance and Psychic, but I had times, where setting up Quiver Dance or trying to defeat it went horribly, so that is also a huge problem. However, I read in another unrelated thread, that it is a good companion to Alola-Ninetales.
Crobat @ Black Sludge
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Haze
- Sludge Bomb
- Roost
Crobat is a pretty good Pivot and Support Pokemon. Since I don't have any Hazard Layer, Defog is the much better solution and Haze can easily get rid of any Set-Up Sweepers potential. Roost is just there to give it much needed recovery. Even with Black Sludge, many Pokemon can deal a lot of damage. That aside, Roost has proven to be a good tool to stall threats. Sludge Bomb is there in case any foe uses Taunt. Alola-Ninetales already has Toxic, but Sludge Bomb can inflict Poison to quickly get rid of threats and also does some STAB damage. It has been seriously useful, but I often have problems switching in a new Pokemon. That is why I feel Whirlwind could be a great addition, so as to get a better opposing Pokemon, which I can more easily switch Garchomp or Volcarona in.
Mimikyu @ Mimikium Z
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
I chose Mimikyu as my Set-Up Sweeper. The main reason is that it has become my favorite Pokemon, alongside Mega-Lopunny. The whole idea behind my team was making a team including both of them. Either way, Swords Dance is extremly useful in combination with Disguise. I get one free set-up and can then attack reliably. Play Rough does a lot of damage and Shadow Sneak can take out much faster threats rather easily, most notably being Mega-Alakazam. Finally, Drain Punch adds much needed recovery and gets rid of highly problematic Steel types quickly. Plus, Mimikium Z is useful for any powerful Pokemon, that I have to get rid of or as a last resort. I used Mimikyu previously as a Breaker alongside Volcarona and it worked fine there as well. I switched it into the second to last spot as my main Sweeper, because I realized it was more of a Set-Up Sweeper. Similarly, I felt it was more useful to have gotten rid of Greninja, Scizor or Excadrill first, which are huge threats. Excadrill is too slow for Mimikyu and Drain Punch can get rid of it fast, but Mold Breaker makes it impossible to use Swords Dance. Scizor usually goes with Bullet Punch, which is a reliable sweeping tool, especially Fairy tyes, and Shadow Sneak is useless against it. Then there is Greninja. Not only is it insufferably fast, but Water Shuriken breaks through Disguise and Shadow Sneak isn't a effective attack against it. Play Rouch can easily one-hit KO Greninja, but it rarely works and even then, I often have to sacrifice Disguise, which means Mimikyu can't use Swords Dance.
Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch
Finally, Mega-Lopunny, my other favorite Pokemon since starting to play on Showdown. By that point, Mimikyu should have gotten rid of threats like Mega-Alakazam, while Garchomp got rid of Zeraora or Tapu Koko and Volcarona got rid of Mega-Beedrill or Mega-Sceptile. When Mega-Lopunny is out as the last Pokemon in my team, it should be the fastest Pokemon possible on the field. Power-Up Punch is extremly useful to set up more powerful moves. I already had battles against bulkier Sweepers, which just gave me more time with this attack to set up. Return is useful as a powerful STAB move. Most strategies call for High-Jump Kick, but it is never useful for me, as I am too scared of it fucking up and depleting HP, which at the end of the battle can be fatal. That's why instead I included Fire Punch and Ice Punch to get rid of any remaining threats. Ice Punch for example can take care of Dragon types easily, while Fire Punch can deal with Steel types. Similarly, Power-Up Punch can be useful against Steel types or already weakened Pokemon, which give me chance to set up for later. Biggest problems are Support Pokemon with Haze, any Pokemon left over, that is capable of outspeeding Mega-Lopunny or moves with raised priority. If there aren't any threats left though, Mega-Lopunny reliably leaves the battle as the winner.
There are, as already expressed, many Pokemon I have problems with.
Greninja is too fast for me and would require Garchomp or Mega-Lopunny to defeat it. My strategy sees Mega-Lopunny as the final Pokemon on the final, so just switching it in earlier feels wrong. Garchomp should take it out with its immense speed, but it has no free slot for it. Greninja can easily outspeed anyone and as said, has been a nightmare for Mimikyu. Its general type coverage can be deadly to my team and Ice Beam on my Garchomp would be deadly either way. Choice Scarf Greninja is essentially just a death sentence for my entire team.
Tapu Koko and Zeraora have been able to breeze through my team, even with my Garchomp. The problem might be that one single defense line against them isn't optimal and if they use a Choice Scarf against me, it's still a death sentence. If I had another Pokemon to outspeed them it wouldn't be a problem, but other than replacing my Mega-Lopunny, which won't happen, or using another Choice Scarfer, which seems wrong on many levels, I have no solution.
Many support Pokemon have also been able to destroy me with Toxic, followeed by stalling me. Blissey and Toxapex have been particularly bad. Blissey can just negate my own stalling with Crobat and once Volcarona is done with, which can happen if Toxapex uses Scald on a already damaged Volcarona, Toxapex is unbeatable. It's especially hard, when Toxapex can't be poisoned and burning it couldn't actually kill it off. Blissey also can just undo its own poison status on the whole team constantly. Stuff like this is especially frustrating.
Ninetales-Alola @ Light Clay
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aurora Veil
- Toxic
- Freeze-Dry
- Dazzling Gleam
Probably the most disagreeable choice on my team. I tried a lot with Hazard Layers and Suicide Leads, but I've rarely been able to use them to the fullest potential, due to the lack of good Spinners, leaving me only with Crobat and Defog. Aurora Veil is supposed to get some protection in and Hail does some damage to the enemy team. Toxic has been my go to move for my lead Pokemon, as it works much more effectively for me. Freeze-Dry and Dazzling Gleam were also recommended to get damage done. This is mostly experimental so far, so I'm not sure if it works too well.
I feel like the best alternative I have tried would be Azelf, which has been helpful a lot, due to Explosion getting a good first hit in and Fire Punch getting rid of Ferrothorn and Skarmory alike. Plus, Taunt and Toxic are also useful. Ninetales-Alola feels promising though, if I had the right move set. Even as a support, it can be a threat to any Dragon type, which can be useful for Garchomp. Also, Freeze-Dry can get rid of Landorus in the beginning rather quickly.
Garchomp @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Fire Fang
- Dragon Claw
My first of two Breakers. I mostly chose Garchomp to deal with problematic Electric-types, like Zeraora and Tapu Koko, which were a nightmare to me. That's why I gave it Choice Scarf to outspeed both Tapu Koko and Zeraora and hit with either Iron Head or Earthquake. Fire Fang is mostly defensively against Ice types and Dragon Claw does tons of STAB damage. Both Iron Head and Earthquake are also useful to deal with Rock types, which are problematic against Volcarona. A problem I've had is Knock Off. It usually isn't too much of a problem, as Garchomp can outspeed many Pokemon and isn't too fragile, but if Knock Off hits, then my plan to outspeed Tapu Koko and Zeraora is ruined and they go from easily killed to full-on nightmare once more.
Volcarona @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Bug Buzz
- Psychic
- Quiver Dance
My second breaker is Volcarona. It has been in most of my previous teams and has been a great asset. I rarely get to use Quiver Dance, but either way it is extremly powerful. Flamethrower and Bug Buzz do tons of STAB damage and cover a variety of Pokemon effectively. Psychic was mostly a random pick for my last slot, but it has been more than useful. Since I decided to not take Giga Drain or Roost, Leftovers became the best option for any sort of recovery, due to Volcarona having defensive problems, which have taken it down rather easily in the past. Especially Greninja has been a pain and any Rock Pokemon is pretty much a death threat. Toxapex can easily be one-shotted with Quiver Dance and Psychic, but I had times, where setting up Quiver Dance or trying to defeat it went horribly, so that is also a huge problem. However, I read in another unrelated thread, that it is a good companion to Alola-Ninetales.
Crobat @ Black Sludge
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Haze
- Sludge Bomb
- Roost
Crobat is a pretty good Pivot and Support Pokemon. Since I don't have any Hazard Layer, Defog is the much better solution and Haze can easily get rid of any Set-Up Sweepers potential. Roost is just there to give it much needed recovery. Even with Black Sludge, many Pokemon can deal a lot of damage. That aside, Roost has proven to be a good tool to stall threats. Sludge Bomb is there in case any foe uses Taunt. Alola-Ninetales already has Toxic, but Sludge Bomb can inflict Poison to quickly get rid of threats and also does some STAB damage. It has been seriously useful, but I often have problems switching in a new Pokemon. That is why I feel Whirlwind could be a great addition, so as to get a better opposing Pokemon, which I can more easily switch Garchomp or Volcarona in.
Mimikyu @ Mimikium Z
Ability: Disguise
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Play Rough
- Shadow Sneak
I chose Mimikyu as my Set-Up Sweeper. The main reason is that it has become my favorite Pokemon, alongside Mega-Lopunny. The whole idea behind my team was making a team including both of them. Either way, Swords Dance is extremly useful in combination with Disguise. I get one free set-up and can then attack reliably. Play Rough does a lot of damage and Shadow Sneak can take out much faster threats rather easily, most notably being Mega-Alakazam. Finally, Drain Punch adds much needed recovery and gets rid of highly problematic Steel types quickly. Plus, Mimikium Z is useful for any powerful Pokemon, that I have to get rid of or as a last resort. I used Mimikyu previously as a Breaker alongside Volcarona and it worked fine there as well. I switched it into the second to last spot as my main Sweeper, because I realized it was more of a Set-Up Sweeper. Similarly, I felt it was more useful to have gotten rid of Greninja, Scizor or Excadrill first, which are huge threats. Excadrill is too slow for Mimikyu and Drain Punch can get rid of it fast, but Mold Breaker makes it impossible to use Swords Dance. Scizor usually goes with Bullet Punch, which is a reliable sweeping tool, especially Fairy tyes, and Shadow Sneak is useless against it. Then there is Greninja. Not only is it insufferably fast, but Water Shuriken breaks through Disguise and Shadow Sneak isn't a effective attack against it. Play Rouch can easily one-hit KO Greninja, but it rarely works and even then, I often have to sacrifice Disguise, which means Mimikyu can't use Swords Dance.
Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch
Finally, Mega-Lopunny, my other favorite Pokemon since starting to play on Showdown. By that point, Mimikyu should have gotten rid of threats like Mega-Alakazam, while Garchomp got rid of Zeraora or Tapu Koko and Volcarona got rid of Mega-Beedrill or Mega-Sceptile. When Mega-Lopunny is out as the last Pokemon in my team, it should be the fastest Pokemon possible on the field. Power-Up Punch is extremly useful to set up more powerful moves. I already had battles against bulkier Sweepers, which just gave me more time with this attack to set up. Return is useful as a powerful STAB move. Most strategies call for High-Jump Kick, but it is never useful for me, as I am too scared of it fucking up and depleting HP, which at the end of the battle can be fatal. That's why instead I included Fire Punch and Ice Punch to get rid of any remaining threats. Ice Punch for example can take care of Dragon types easily, while Fire Punch can deal with Steel types. Similarly, Power-Up Punch can be useful against Steel types or already weakened Pokemon, which give me chance to set up for later. Biggest problems are Support Pokemon with Haze, any Pokemon left over, that is capable of outspeeding Mega-Lopunny or moves with raised priority. If there aren't any threats left though, Mega-Lopunny reliably leaves the battle as the winner.
There are, as already expressed, many Pokemon I have problems with.
Greninja is too fast for me and would require Garchomp or Mega-Lopunny to defeat it. My strategy sees Mega-Lopunny as the final Pokemon on the final, so just switching it in earlier feels wrong. Garchomp should take it out with its immense speed, but it has no free slot for it. Greninja can easily outspeed anyone and as said, has been a nightmare for Mimikyu. Its general type coverage can be deadly to my team and Ice Beam on my Garchomp would be deadly either way. Choice Scarf Greninja is essentially just a death sentence for my entire team.
Tapu Koko and Zeraora have been able to breeze through my team, even with my Garchomp. The problem might be that one single defense line against them isn't optimal and if they use a Choice Scarf against me, it's still a death sentence. If I had another Pokemon to outspeed them it wouldn't be a problem, but other than replacing my Mega-Lopunny, which won't happen, or using another Choice Scarfer, which seems wrong on many levels, I have no solution.
Many support Pokemon have also been able to destroy me with Toxic, followeed by stalling me. Blissey and Toxapex have been particularly bad. Blissey can just negate my own stalling with Crobat and once Volcarona is done with, which can happen if Toxapex uses Scald on a already damaged Volcarona, Toxapex is unbeatable. It's especially hard, when Toxapex can't be poisoned and burning it couldn't actually kill it off. Blissey also can just undo its own poison status on the whole team constantly. Stuff like this is especially frustrating.
Last edited:
